It didn’t last for very long, but the first full-scale static fire test of SpaceX’s Starship rocket appears to have been a success, despite the fact that two of the booster’s 33 Raptor engines did not participate in the demonstration. Here’s what we learned from yesterday’s milestone achievement and what might happen next.
The static fire test took place on Thursday, February 9, with the Booster 7 prototype standing tall on the launch mount at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. As hoped, there were plenty of jaw-dropping visuals to go around and plenty to think about as SpaceX pushes forward with its ambitious Starship program.